Never Strike Twice
by Dante The Kitsune
Summary: Roxas is preparing for Summer, but amidst school, his practice for the yearly Struggle tournament, and hanging out with friends eating sea salt ice cream, a tragic event brings a new face to town. But just when his life begins to straighten out and he thinks he's found a friend, she disappears. All Roxas can do is hope that the old saying isn't true. More inside, not much room fo-


**Lol, look, a story with a main straight pairing. _Yes_, I can write those if I so choose, I just normally choose not to. But I sincerely doubt you care.**

**WARNING: ****Rated M because I'm me, and if you've read _any _of my stories, you know why. But if not, it's because of inevitable language and potential sexual situations.**

"Roxas!" I flinched as the struggle bat was knocked flying out of my hand, spinning to a stop ten feet away. "Focus ya dope!" I ducked Hayner's next swing and threw myself backwards, rolling into a backward somersault and stumbling to my feet.

I reoriented myself and leaped back, bending my body and sucking in my stomach as much as possible to avoid Hayner's attack. I threw my body into a back handspring and kicked his bat up and out of his hand, closing my own hand around the handle of my bat, which just so happened to be under my hand, and landing on my feet again, the tip pressed against his chest.

In the silence that followed, I heard his bat clatter to the ground.

"Game Over, Hayner." I said smugly, knocking the last orb off his vest with and casual flick of my wrist. He grinned and shook his head.

"Ya got me, man." I grunted as he threw his arm over my shoulder and ripped his headgear off of his head with his free hand. I did the same and put my arm over his shoulder. "Looks like I'm buying the ice cream this time." I laughed as I saw Pence grudgingly dropping a handful of munny in a smug Olette's hand.

"Looks like you are." I chuckled as they jogged over to us and Pence shook his head, a big smile on his face.

"Wow, Roxas, was that intentional? Did you fake him out or was that just luck?" I shrugged, putting on a faux mysterious smile.

"Maybe it was, but then again maybe it wasn't." Olette smiled sweetly at me, then nudged Pence and scoffed.

"Of _course _it was! He was just pretending to space out, right?" I grinned and shook my head, but didn't reply. In truth, something really weird had happened.

I was trying to predict what kind of attack Hayner would use next, but while I was thinking, the world seemed to slow down a bit and I heard a unfamiliar girl's voice whisper:

_"Beware the strike."_

I was pondering what this could mean when Hayner caught me by surprise.

Hayner jostled my shoulder roughly and I came back to reality in front of the Sea-Salt Ice Cream stand. I smiled at the lady and asked for one.

As we headed back to the Usual Spot, Pence blinked and snapped his fingers.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" We looked at him as he continued excitedly. "I heard my parents talking the other day-"

"That's not unusual," Hayner interrupted. "Everyone hears them talking." Pence glared at him. "Sorry, please continue."

"Aaaanyway, there's gonna be a new kid moving here!" Olette raised her eyebrows.

"What, really?" He nodded and Hayner rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

"Guy or girl?" Pence shrugged.

"Didn't catch that part." Olette jumped back in.

"So when will they be here?" Pence thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Oh yeah, they're getting off the Tram today." Hayner stopped suddenly and we walked on without him for a few steps, then turned back.

"Hayner?" He took a huge bite off his ice cream angrily and glared at Pence.

"You're just telling me this _now_?!" What time?" Pence shrugged.

"I dunno. Two, maybe 2:30?" Hayner facepalmed and I glanced at the clock tower. 2:15.

"Peeeennnnncccce!" He groaned. Pence grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry?" Hayner grabbed Pence's arm and dragged him off. I felt slim, warm fingers slide against my palm as Olette grabbed my hand with a little smile.

"Better catch up." She said shyly, her cheeks pink. _Uh-oh. _I thought, even as I smiled and nodded. _This could complicate things._

* * *

We made it to Sunset Station with two minutes to spare. Pence collapsed on the ground and wheezed like a fish out of water, Hayner smoothed back his hair and checked his breath, but Olette led me over to the steps and we sat down.

"Um, Roxas?" Her big green eyes swallowed me and I had to force words out of my suddenly dry mouth.

"Y-yeah?" I cursed the fates when I heard my voice crack. Olette giggled and relaxed a bit.

"So, I was wondering if. . .if you're not busy Saturday-"

"Would you come to my house and fuck my brains out?" Said a voice in falsetto, right next to my ear. I jumped and Olette flushed angrily.

"Go away, Seifer." He smirked nastily and looked over his shoulder at his little group of goons.

"D'aww, did you hear that? The wittle wuvbirds wanna be weft awone~!" Rai and Vivi laughed, but Fuu just stood silently, studying me with her single visible crimson eye.

"Maybe they wanna do it right here on the steps!"Rai choked out between guffaws. "Should we stay and watch, or give 'em some space?" Seifer chuckled.

"You lack imagination, Rai. Maybe Roxas wants us to loosen her up first, eh? It's only polite that we help the loser out." He licked his lips creepily and I saw Fuu's lip curl.

"Pigs." She muttered. Seifer turned and glared at her.

"Say something?" She didn't exactly flinch, but something like terror passed across her eyes and she shook her head slowly. I stood, moving in front of Olette and staring up into his eyes as he turned back around.

"Hey, instead of intimidating girls, why not keep your eyes on the bigger threat here? Unless of course. . .you're _scared_." Fuu smiled discreetly, but saw me looking and wiped it off quickly. I waved Olette off the steps behind my back as Seifer ground his teeth.

"What'd you just say, Ass rocks?" I snorted.

"Ooh, nice one, I'll have to congratulate your mom on her wit when I see her tonight." I head Hayner cackling somewhere behind me, but I kept my eyes on Seifer as he growled angrily. I knew all it would take was one more jab. "In fact-" Seifer's face twisted in a look of profound confusion that mirrored my own as he toppled toward me suddenly. I stumbled back and he landed heavily on me, both of us rolling down the remaining steps and landing with my head thumping painfully on the stone.

I shoved him off me and propped myself up on my elbow, blinking the dark spots from my eyes and wondering what had just happened. My eyes widened as I saw her, foot still extended from kicking Seifer, standing a few steps above Vivi, Rai, and Fuu.

She was without doubt the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen in my life.

The girl standing there was unfamiliar, with long, shiny pink hair that draped over her left shoulder and hung jaggedly just above her right. Vibrant blue-green eyes swept over me with clinical disinterest as she hiked her bag up higher on her shoulder and started down the steps, silencing Rai's sputtering threats with a threatening glare as she passed.

Olette knelt by my side, fussing worriedly over me.

"Are you okay?" I nodded and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine, don't worry." She offered a relieved smile and squeezed my hand gently.

"I'm glad."

I looked up and flinched, finding the girl staring down at us coldly.

"You're in my way." She said evenly, her tone as emotionless as her gaze. I scrambled backward and out of her path, still unable to comprehend what was happening. Then it hit me like a bolt of Lightning.

"The new kid." I whispered to myself. "Of _course_." Hayner planted himself in her path and put on his most charismatic smile.

"Well hel~_lo_ there! My name is H-hey!" She'd planted her hand on his face and unceremoniously shoved him aside without breaking stride. If Hayner is anything, he's persistent, so he jumped up and grabbed her shoulder. "Hey wa-aaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiit!" He squealed the rest of the word as the girl grabbed his wrist and flipped him onto his back, where he landed with a loud _OOMPH._

"Hayner!" Olette ran over to him as I stood up and brushed myself off, watching the girl walk away. All my numb brain could think was: _Who the _hell _was that? _

"HEY!" I stumbled sideways as Seifer shoved me to the side, trying to go after her, only to immediately trip and fall. I snickered and pointed to his shoelaces, which I'd tied together while he was threatening Fuu.

"Oh yeah, I might have to tell your mom to give you a refresher on tying shoes, yours are all messed up."

* * *

"I'm home!" I called as I closed the door and leaned back against it, running through the details of the girl's arrival in my head.

"Where have you been?" I looked up at my dad, standing in the living room doorway with his arms crossed. I mentally replayed this morning, making sure I didn't promise to run any errands that I might have forgotten about. Coming up with nothing, I furrowed my brow, confused.

"Practicing for the struggle tournament this summer, same as always, why?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Is that all?" I shook my head, mystified.

"Um, no. I went with Olette, Hayner, and Pence to Sunset Station." He shook his head slowly.

"And you didn't think to escort your cousin here?" My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"M-my _what?_" I choked out eventually. He sighed.

"I told you this morning that your cousin is coming to stay with us." I opened my mouth, but my mom called from the living room.

"Cloud? Is that Roxas?" Without taking his eyes off me, he called back.

"Yeah!" Then he smiled a bit. "Struggle practice, huh? Against Hayner?" I nodded and he smiled wider. "Who won?" He already knew, but I grinned and told him anyway.

"Of course _I _won." He trapped me in a playful headlock and ruffled my hair.

"Well of _course_ you did." My mom called out again, this time impatient.

"Well, bring him in here!" Dad rolled his eyes at me, and called back.

"Of course honey!" I heard Mom snort.

"Don't 'honey' me! I heard you roll your eyes." _Heard? _Dad mouthed at me, smirking.

"Sorry dear, of course you did." We stepped into the living room and my jaw dropped. Sitting on our couch, not thirty minutes after her arrival, was the pink haired girl I'd seen at Sunset Station. The pieces all fell into place, leaving me with a really fucking strange picture.

"You?" She took a sip of tea (knowing Mom) and looked up from her cup (the really expensive china ones Mom only brings out for guests), unsurprised to see me.

"You." I looked at Mom, then Dad, then the girl.

"Wha. . .What. . ." I threw up my hands and shook my head. "Never mind, I'm sure you'll tell me." Dad chuckled and gestured to Mom, who sighed.

"This is-" She started to introduce her, but the girl put down her drink and stood, walking over to me and holding out her hand.

"My name is Lightning."

"Roxas." I shook her hand and her lips quirked.

"You have very soft hands, Roxas. How. . .feminine." I retracted my hand and stuffed it in my pocket. She returned to the couch and continued sipping her tea.

"Gee thanks." I muttered. Dad laughed and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Anyway, since we don't have any extra rooms, she'll be sleeping down here on the couch." I raised my eyebrows, Mom's pretty serious about her couch.

"**NO.**" I shivered, even though it wasn't directed at me, and stepped out of her line of sight. Dad sighed.

"Aerith, c'mon, we went over this." Mom crossed her arms.

"Yes, we did." Dad ran a hand through his hair.

"And we decided-"

"That she's sleeping in Roxas's room." Oh, hell _no._

"Hold on, don't I get a say in-"

"No." Mom and Dad interrupted together.

"I knew it." I muttered, heading for the kitchen. As I left, I heard Dad say:

"So, _Roxas _is sleeping on the couch?" And Mom said. . .you guessed it.

"**NO.**" I heard Dad sigh and I shook my head, pouring myself some juice. I tipped my head back and gulped it down before stretching and turning to go upstairs. I jumped and almost dropped my glass when I saw Lightning leaning against the table. The girl's a freakin' _ninja._

"Hey." I took a moment to calm my heart, then put my glass in the sink.

"Hi." As I passed the phone, it rang as if on cue. I check the caller ID and grinned.

"Who is it?" Dad called from the living room.

"Hayner!" I called back, picking up the receiver. I put it to my ear and Dad said:

"Don't forget to rub in your Struggle win!" I chuckled.

"Hello?" Silence. Then:

"Really, Roxas? You already started bragging about it?" I laughed.

"Hey, he asked, I told." Hayner sighed.

"Sure he did. Anyway, did you see how that chick flipped me?" I snuck a glance at Lightning, who raised her eyebrows, and I laughed.

"Oh yeah, I definitely saw that." He groaned.

"I'm gonna be stiff for _weeks, _man." I shrugged, then remembered he couldn't see me.

"Well, it's your own damn fault."

"Language!" My mom yelled. I winced.

"Sorry!" Hayner laughed.

"You guys do an obscene amount of yelling over there, you know that right?" I snorted.

"Yeah, good thing I was born with 'strong lungs' as Dad puts it, or else I'd never keep up." Hayner paused.

"You're aware that 'strong lungs' is parent talk that means you were a giant fucking crybaby, right?" I started to reply, then I heard Olette say:

"Language, Hayner!" He groaned.

"Shut up and rub, woman!" Then he yelped. "_Sorry! Sorry! Ermahgerd make it stahp!" _I pulled the receiver away from my ear and chuckled.

"Listen to you two, you're like an old married couple. . .but violent." Hayner laughed.

"Some old couples are violent. And oh _please_, Roxy_, _you know she only has eyes for y-_AAAAAHHHH! I'm sorry! I'msorryI'msorryI'msorrreeheeeeee!" _I shook my head.

"Look, I'm about to go to bed, what do you want?"

"Olette wanted to know your thoughts on the new girl."

"U-um, th-that's just because-!" Hayner cackled.

"Because you saw him mooning over her!" Then he started screaming again. I felt my face go hot and I'm sure I was redder than a tomato.

"I-I was not _mooning!_" Hayner scoffed.

"Suuuure, lover boy. I bet you wanna Rox dat a-" I hung up and stood there, breathing heavily for a while.

"Your friends are quite energetic, _Roxy._" Lightning smirked and I flushed even redder.

"H-how much of that did you hear?" She shrugged and pushed off the table.

"Enough. Now show me to your room, I'm tired." I sighed and trudged after her.

"Would it kill you to ask _politely_?" I muttered.

"No," She said over her shoulder. "But it _will _kill you to complain." I just rolled my eyes and followed her upstairs. Attractive or nor, I was hoping she'd be leaving soon.

**Rawr. Sorry in advance for some of the characters like Lightning. I've never played Final Fantasy so she'll almost definitely be OOC, but whatevs, it called _fan_fiction for a reason. Don't like it, I don't recommend reading any further.**


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